Lasagne with Lea & Perrins

So today I’m posting a recipe for…. lasagne.  I know what you’re thinking – lasagne? Everyone knows how to make that. And you probably do, but Lea and Perrins challenged me to make a ‘lovelea’ lasagne using their Worcestershire sauce and so, here we are, fine tuning a classic! Get ready for some lasagne porn and a few Lea and Perrins bottle shots thrown in for good measure!

I’ve never used Worcestershire sauce in my lasagne and have always made the ragu heavily tomato based. So after reading the Lea and Perrins recipe, I was excited to see how it would turn out. Using fresh beef stock and the Worcestershire sauce emphasised the flavour of the mince more than usual and omitting my usual mushrooms helped the meat shine through too. For me, Worcestershire sauce has always lived in the cupboard for cheese on toast! It’s the law… so putting it in this dish was something new but definitely not unpleasant!

Anyway, back to the recipe! The ingredients list is big and to make this from scratch is quite long winded but it’s definitely worth it for a really good lasagne! The creamy homemade white sauce makes all the difference so don’t be tempted to use a jar. Warming the milk with bay leaves and clove studded onions as per the recipe makes it extra special. Whisk whisk whisk to ensure a smooth white sauce too!

Ingredients (serves 6)

Meat ragu: 

Method: 

• Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and add the pancetta and brown. 
• Dice the carrot, celery, garlic and 1 of the onions. 
• Add the beef and brown well.
• Squeeze the tomato purée into the pan and coat everything.
• Then pour in the wine and Worcestershire sauce.
• Let the liquid bubble for a few minutes before adding the chopped tomatoes and the stock.
• Bring to the boil, then turn down to a gentle simmer for at least an hour to allow the mixture to reduce.
• Halve the other onion and stud with the cloves.
• Heat the milk in a saucepan with the studded onion and bay leaves.
• Melt the butter in another medium sized saucepan.
• Beat in the flour and cook for a minute (making a roux).
• Pour in the strained, infused milk slowly, whisking constantly. Only add more milk once the last has been fully incorporated and is lump free.
• Preheat the oven to 180°C.
• Spread the meat sauce over the bottom of a rectangle baking dish.
• Cover the layer with lasagne sheets, snapping them where needed to fit the dish. 
• Spoon over a little white sauce and top with torn pieces of mozzarella, grated Parmesan and a few torn basil leaves. Repeat, finishing with a top layer of lasagne sheets.
• Scatter over a final layer of only cheese, then place in the oven for 30 minutes.

You can find the original recipe on the Lea and Perrins website here along with loads of other recipes using their Worcestershire sauce – everything from basics like cheese on toast through to marinated chicken with minty fresh potato salad. If you’re more of a visual kind of person, why not watch their recipes being cooked on their youtube channel! Pretty cool! 

**If you’ve not already guessed, this is a sponsored post of sorts. Lea & Perrins did not pay me to write this post but they did provide the ingredients required for the dish. All opinions are my own – it really was a tasty lasagne!**